Surface condenser.



G. G. CURTIS.

SURFACE CONDENSER.

- APPLICATION FILED JULY 3,1908. 952, 1 ()2, I Patented Mar. 15, 1910.

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CHARLES G. CURTIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SURFACE CONDENSER.

952,102. Specification of Letters Patent.

Aprication filed July 3, 1908.

penditure of energy and a ture of the cooling medium. r l ln carrying out my inventlon a shell or casing of any desired construction can be employed having an -inlet for thesteam to be condensed and an outlet for the Water of condensation. Generally speaking its shape will depend upon the articular use for which it is intended. V yhen used for marine purposes it maybe desirable to adopt a different shape from that used for land purposes owing to the limited space availcan be able for such apparatus. Inside of the shell produced by its condenser. As ordinarily are one, two, three or more banks of cylinconstructed the tubes through which the drical tubes supported by tube sheets at cooling medium passes are of the same size and are equally spaced throughout the condenser. In other words the various passages I through which the steam passesin being condensed are of uniform cross-section or as nearly so as possible considering the navarious parts. This arrangefor a con'lparatively PatentedMar. 15, 1910. Serial No. 441,796.

'lo all whom it ma concern:

Be it known that I, (.Inanuss G. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, county of New York, State of l New York, have. new and t given tempera invented certain useful Improvements in Surface Condensers of which the following is a specification.

'l e present invention relates to surface condensers and has for its object to improve their .fOllStl'llCt'lOll.

It s well understood that the efiiciency of a steam turbine installation is largely dewhich the cooling medium passes. Where the tubes are long they may be supported at intermediate points. Battling means may be provided for directing some or all of the entering steam against any 'one or more of the banks of tubes. The tubes, assuming for convenience of description and example a horizontal condenser, are separated from each other by a greater distance at the top the velocity of the steam over certain of where the exhaust steam enters the tie tubes and particularlythose nearest the from the turbine" or other apparatus than inlet is abnormally great. Since this velocthey are at the bottom. the s acing pret ity can only be attained by causing a suberably decreasing gradually rom top "to stantial pressure dilference to exist between of the condenser, it follows that the air pump has to maintain a considerably better vacuum at the bottom of the condenser than at the top and the amount of work to be performed isconsiderably increased. The resistance to the passage of steam is further increased by the (lose and staggered relation of the tubes, which causes eddy currents as the steam bottom to obtain the be t results; Since the number of tubes used in such a condenser is large it is important to arrange them in some sin'iple manner sothat no difliculty willbe experlenced 1n laying out and drillin the tube-sheets. As an illustration of this idea the tube sheet is laid off with conceu trio arcs e"tending from side to side thereof. The space between these arcs, measured radially, instead of being constant, decreases the top and bottom follows a more or less tortuous path. To by steps fromthetop to the bottom for the overcome these ObJGCt'lOllS I arrange the purpose of proportionmg the cross-sectional tubes carrying the coohng mediumin such area of the passages to the volume of thud manner-that the spaces thernare greatest where is greatest and decrease or passages between the volume of steammore or less gradutobe handled. For convenience in manufacture the number of steps is three being shown in the present embodially as the steam becomes moreand more i ment. On one of the arcs the centers fol condensed. By enlarging the spaces or pasone row of holes are laid off. From the sages between tubes in this manner at the points thus determined lines radial to the receiving ends, the velocity of the steam can i center of said arcs are drawn. The points be reduced to a value which is not objectionof intersection of each of these radial lines ably high, while at the lower end the spaces with alternate arcs determines the position ,orpassages are reduced as much as is pracof one set of tube holes. ticable. Reducing the velocity reduces fricholes in a tion and eddy losses and results in the pro duction of a. better vacuum for a given extheir ends in the usual way and through shell The circulating water-may wit these radial lines and the remaining arcs f are chambered headsB-and 6. In the head will ive the positions of the remaining set of tu e holes. The holes and therefore the tubes will thus be arranged in two concentric sets, those in one set being staggered with respect to those of the other y an amount equal to half the pitch. Since the tubes are arranged in concentric'rows and the pitch of each row gradually decreases from the top to the bottom, and since the distance between the rows also decreases, it follows that the vertical passages between the tubes will have their greater cross-sectional area at the top and gradually decrease to the bottom. The total cross-sectional area of the passages near the inlet of the condenser will be determined by the volume of steam that is to be handled per unit; of time, due regard being given to the'desirability of having a low steam velocity to avoid undue friction and eddy losses. Since the volume of fluid is less in the lower part of the casing due to condensation, the total and where the volume is small the passaggs are small. The passages also gradually come more tortuous toward the outlet, which insures goodv contact between the cold walls of the tubes and the fluid bein advantage be forced through the banks of tubes by means of a turbine-driven centrifugal pump. By means of'suit-able artitions therwater may be caused to flow t rough the banks of tubes'in. series or multiple, or in any other desired manner. The cold water may first act on the coolest tubes or on the hottest, as best suits the conditions of service. The water of condensation may be removed from the shell or casin by a turbine-driven centrifu al pump. ir and uncondensed gases he removed from a point just above the level of the water in the outlet by" a'suitable V 1 pump.

H In the accom anying drawings which illustrate one of t e embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 isa general view of acondenser with the necessary pumping asparatus, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view 0 the condenser showing a tube sheet, and to simplify the illustration I have shown a less number of tubes than, will usually be employe'd. I

1 indicates the shell or casin and 2 and 3 the tube sheets for sup orting t e ends of the cylindrical tubes 4. 6h the ends of the shell or theatinosphere as desired.

condensed. v

is a partition 7, ret'crably concentric with the rows of tubes, to cause the circulating water from the centrifugal pump 8 to flow through the lower tubes. In the head 5 is a similar partition 9 to cause the water above the level of the partition 7 to flow-through the intermediate tubes into the head6 from which it flows through the uppertnbes to the outlet 10. N

11 indicates the outlet from which the water of condensation is drawn off by the centrifugal pump 12. Tapped intothe outlet above the water level is a pump 13 thatv is connected to the air pump 14 for removing air and other uncondensed gases. 'lhe exhaust steam 'from the turbine or other up paratus enters the condenser shell by the conduit 15.

are driven by steam turbines 16 and 17 respectively. The exhaust from these turblnes may enter the main or. other condenser Each turbine is or maybe provided with a governor arranged to hold. the speed constant, or the tubes are arranged in concentric rows 18 which have the same center. The centers of the tubes arelocated 1n ra'dlal lanes that pass through the said center. T ie concentrio arcs and radial lines employed-in laylng out thetube sheet are shown in dotted lines.

Between the tubes are downwardly extendin'g passages 19 whose!cross-sectional area gradually decreases from the inlet toward the outlet, and since the tubes become more closely associatedas the distance from-the inlet increases, it follows that the passages become somewhat more tortuous toward their lower ends.

In acc'ordance with the provisions. of the patentstatutes, I have described the principle ofoper'ation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider carried out by uid decreases, andsu'p- L duits therein through which the cooling rnei 2, Ina surface condenser, the combination of a shell having an inlet and an outlet, condium circulates, the said conduits being arranged with passages between whose crosssectional area decreases from the inlet toward the outlet, and a support for the con- Int.

3. In a surface condenser, the combination of a shell having an inlet for the fluid to be condensed and an outlet,'tubes located therein through which the cooling medium circulatcs, the pitch of said tubes being greater near the inlet than near the outlet, and means for su )portin the tubes.

4. In a surgace con enser, the combination of a shell having an inlet and an outlet, tubes "of similar diameter located therein whose spacing reatest where the volume of fluid being condensed is greatest and decreases as the volume of the fluid decreases, and sheets for supporting the tubes at their ends.

5. In a surface condenser, the combination of a shell having an inlet and an outlet, tubes for the cooling medium arranged in rows with the pitch of the'tubes in the rows decreasing toward the outlet, and means for supporting the tubes.

6. In a surface condenser, the combinatidn of a shell having an inlet and an outlet,-

tubes for the cooling medium arranged in rows, the distance between the rows and the pitch of the tubes in the rows decreasing toward the outlet, and means for supporting the tubes.

7. In a surface condenser, the combination of a shell having an inlet and an outlet, tubes for the cooling medium arranged in rows, the tubes in alternate rows being staggered, the pitch of the tubes in the rows progressively decreasing toward the outlet, and tul'ie-shects for supporting the tubes.

8. In a surface condenser, the combination of a shell having an inlet and anzoutlet, chambered heads for the shell, conduits in the shell for the cooling medium whose spacing is greatest where the volume of fluid being condensed is greatest and decreases as thevolume of fluid decreases, and means for supporting the conduits.

9. In a surface condenser, the combination of a shell having an inlet and an outlet, chambered heads for the shell, tubes located in the shell and communicating with the chambers, the said tubes being arranged in rows, the pitch of the tubes in each row being ,in the shell and communicating with means for supporting the tubes.

11. In a aurfecc'condenser, the C Il'iiL= tion of a shell having an inlet and as can chamberedheads for the sheli, tubes in chambers, the said'tubes being erran concentric staggered rows, the tubes to. nate ro'ws occupying radial planes that the itch of the tubes in said rows decree as t e volume of the tiaid being ccnden decreases, and supporting means for tubes.

12. In a surface condenser, the camhination of an inclosure to which the fluid in be condensed is admitted, an inlet and an outlet therefor, and cooling surfaces iocetcd within the inclosure and spaced apart to rovide passages for the fluid, the said suraces being so arranged that the total or sectional area. of the passages graduall minishes as the volume of the fluid diminishes.

13. In a surface condenser, the combination of an inclosure to which the fluid to be i condensed is admitted, an inlet and an outlet therefor, and cooling tubes within the inclesure for condensing the fluid whose prob; imlty change with changes in the volume oi the fluid.

I 14. In a surface condenser, the combination of an inclosure to which the fiuid to is condensed is admitted, 'an'inlct and an em le ..L

CHARLES (Jl. CURTIS.

lVitnesse" s:

' Howano MCWILLIAMS, ALEX. F. MACDONALD. 

